How Do We Turn Noise Into Art?

I have been addicted to this certain song for a couple of weeks now. It’s called “Silhouette” by Ceremony, and if you want to check it out, a video is embedded below. Be warned: it’s loud and crazy, and it slaps you in the mouth from the get-go.

In case you didn’t already know, I love shoegazer music. Think of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, A Place To Bury Strangers, The December Sound. You could probably fit The Jesus and Mary Chain into the mix. Shoegazer is saturated with distortion and effects pedals. Often, the vocals are low, to the point that you can barely make out anything that’s said.

Shoegazer. Wall of noise. Noise rock.

Whatever you want to call it, I love it.

And I fully admit that it’s a bunch of noise. But it ceases to be noise when you turn it into something that people want to listen to. Lady Gaga might be hot on the charts right now, but if I don’t like the way her music sounds, it’s noise.

A billboard on the side of the highway is noise. But receiving an email for a “Buy One, Get One Free” or “50% Off” offer from one of your favorite stores is not noise.

There’s a lot of noise out there. But shoegazer is more than that. When done right, it’s art.

With whatever we’re doing, how do we turn our noise into art — into sweet, sweet music that others want to hear?

I don’t have the answer. It’s just something to think about.

Tagged as: art, noise, shoegazer